Denial
by bionic4ever
Summary: PreBetrayal Story: A triangle exists, with Steve, Oscar and Jaime mired in confusion. Who will get burned?
1. prologue

**Denial**

**Prologue**

No one had intended for it to happen, and no one - not even the participants themselves - saw it coming. Oscar had harbored secret feelings for Jaime almost since the day he'd met her. If he was honest with himself, he'd have to admit he'd loved her all along. He'd never allowed those feelings to surface, though, so they'd never been a problem. Of course, there'd been rumors; every workplace had those. A gorgeous female operative with an unattached and attractive boss - naturally, people talked.

As for Jaime, she and Steve had been very happily sharing a home for almost a year. She was as recovered from her bout with amnesia as she was going to get, and the way she saw it, partial memory was better than none at all. Steve had been heroically patient in waiting for her heart to settle down and for Jaime (like he always knew she would) to come back to him. It wasn't the same relationship they'd had in the past, but they were both very different people than they'd been four or five years earlier. Steve wanted more than anything to get married, and Jaime was certain they'd eventually end up tying the legendary knot, but she just hadn't been able to take that step; not yet. She couldn't imagine spending the rest of her life with anyone but Steve, though, and the bond between them seemed strong and unbreakable.

They had no idea...

------


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

"There she is!" Oscar said cheerfully as Jaime joined them, fresh from her post-mission exam with Rudy. Steve handed her a glass of champagne and pulled her close with an arm around her waist. Oscar raised his glass in a toast. "To another successful mission, courtesy of the best team in the business." Three glasses clinked together and three sips were taken in near-perfect unison.

Steve beamed at the woman he'd shared a home with for nearly a year. "Who knows? Maybe one of these days she'll agree to make it a permanent team," he said, kissing her.

Jaime smiled and took a larger sip of champagne. "I hate to break up this happy gathering, but Rudy's ready for you now, Honey."

Steve drained his glass in one long gulp. "Wouldn't wanna keep the good doc waiting; see ya in a bit." When he'd gone, Jaime turned to look out the window, but Oscar had already seen the wistfulness in her eyes.

"Jaime?" He placed a fatherly hand on her shoulder. "Everything ok, Babe?"

"Yeah," she said, sounding anything but ok, unable to even look at him as she said it.

"You know, I almost believe you," Oscar told her. Very gently, he turned her around and lifted her chin to force her eyes to meet his. They were both a little shocked when a look passed between them that was definitely _not_ father/daughter-like, or boss/employee. Oscar was nearly overcome by a sudden urge to caress her skin, run his fingers through her hair, and then...! He forced himself to break the gaze, leaving them both wondering what had just happened.

"Jaime, I can tell something's bothering you. Let's sit down and talk," Oscar told her. Jaime chose the loveseat by the window and, without even thinking about it, Oscar sat next to her. "You can tell me it's none of my business, that I should stay out of it, but you and Steve are two of my favorite people. If there's something - anything - I can do, even if it's just to listen..."

"Thanks, Oscar," she said sadly, "but it's nothing, really."

"Not buying it," he told her, reaching over to brush away the single tear that had formed in each of her eyes. Her skin felt even softer than he'd imagined, and his hand lingered on her cheek as he looked into the most beautiful eyes he'd ever seen.

To Jaime, his touch felt electric, and his eyes were like a beacon, inviting her closer. "Steve wants to get married," she finally explained.

"You don't?"

"No. Well, yes, but..." she struggled to find the words. "I love him so much, Oscar. And he's always been so good to me. I don't know what my problem is, but I just can't take that step right now. He wants it more than anything and I just can't give it to him. I can't marry him, and I don't even know why."

"There isn't always a reason for the way we feel," Oscar told her softly. He was alarmed that his own feelings for the woman sitting next to him, the ones he'd kept carefully hidden for years, were suddenly so close to the surface. _She belongs with Steve_, he reminded himself, as he did every time he saw her. _They were childhood sweethearts._

"We're actually closer than a lot of married couples," Jaime confided, "and I know I'm hurting him, making him wait like this -"

Oscar took her hand in both of his - _to comfort her_, he told himself - and delved even deeper into her eyes with his own, sending an almost electric spark through both of their bodies. "Jaime, you have to go with whatever your heart is telling you."

What Jaime's heart was telling her at that moment was so new and unexpected that she was speechless. Oscar's eyes held hers captive, and she was unable to break away. "Jaime..." he whispered, and for a few brief seconds he had a look of such strong, intense love on his face that she nearly melted into his arms.

Just as suddenly, they both realized who and where they were and quickly moved to put appropriate space between their bodies just as Steve re-joined them. He looked at them both with a puzzled expression. "Rudy wasn't down there," he told Oscar. "Ok if I catch him tomorrow?"

"That'd be fine, Pal."

Steve looked at Jaime. "Ready to go, Sweetheart?" Jaime sat with a stunned look on her face - or was it guilt? - and didn't answer. Steve figured she'd probably had a little too much champagne. "Jaime?"

She jumped a bit as she startled back to reality. "I'm sorry, Honey," she said, smiling at him. "What'd you say?"

"Are you ready to go?" he repeated. Jaime nodded and took Steve's hand, her heart flooded with guilt. He was so good to her, and she really did love him. _What_ had she been thinking?

------

The next morning, Steve convinced Jaime to tag along when he went to see Rudy. "You can visit with Callahan; you two probably have a lot to catch up on." It was against Jaime's better judgement, and she really didn't want to go. The dream she'd had the night before (about Oscar) told her she could be headed for serious trouble. She had no reason she could actually give Steve, though, so that was how she found herself on the express elevator, headed for Oscar's office.

------


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Jaime was both alarmed and excited to see Peggy Callahan was out of the office. "Jaime! Good morning!" Oscar's deep voice called as he came toward her.

"Hi," she answered, feeling shy and nervous for the first time in years.

"Peggy's running some errands this morning, but I'd be happy to keep you company while Steve's downstairs." Oscar handed her a mug of coffee. "Scoop of cocoa, just the way you like it."

"You..._knew_ I was coming?"

"I was hoping you would." He smiled warmly at her as he led the way into the inner office. Without looking to see what the other was doing, both of them sat on the loveseat. Jaime shivered as their knees touched.

"Cold?" Oscar asked.

"Definitely not." She met his gaze, searching for a clue to what was happening. Was this merely her vivid imagination and wishful thinking, or...?

"There was one other reason I thought you might be here," he told her. "I had a dream about you last night."

Jaime's jaw dropped and her eyes grew wide. "I dreamed about you, too. I wonder if we had the same dream?"

"What was yours about?" Oscar asked, grinning. Jaime blushed, and he nodded. "It was the same dream." The space between them grew a little smaller and their breathing was a little faster with the mutual memory.

It was taking every ounce of Oscar's willpower to not grab her in his arms, pull her close and claim her as his own. It wasn't the risk to his career that he was worried about; he'd give that up in a heartbeat to be with Jaime. It was the thought of the devastation it would cause Steve, who was more than an employee - he was one of Oscar's best friends. And yet...

Jaime, too, was struggling mightily with conflicting emotions. Steve had been a part of her life since she was five years old. He'd never been anything but loving and loyal to her. When she'd suffered her bout of amnesia, he'd been patient enough to wait, as long as it took, for her heart to return to him. He didn't deserve to have his own heart broken. And yet...

Neither of them initiated it, and they didn't see it coming, but when Jaime and Oscar looked up from their individual soul searching and their eyes met once again, their lips met as well, in a very soft, tender first kiss. Both pulled away almost immediately, shocked by what they'd done, but it had tasted so sweet and felt so right.

"We can't do this to Steve," Oscar said as his arms almost involuntarily enveloped her.

"No, we can't," Jaime whispered as her body melted toward his. They shared one more kiss that brimmed over with emotion and desire, then both jumped up as though the loveseat had caught fire, and moved a safe distance away from each other, unable to process what had just happened.

It was at this precise moment that Steve stepped off the elevator and walked into the office without knocking, the way he always did. He saw his best friend and the woman he loved on opposite sides of the office with their backs to each other. Oscar's face and neck were that peculiar shade of reddish-purple they turned when he was really angry, and Jaime appeared to be close to tears, breathing hard and trembling slightly.

"Can't leave you two alone for a minute, huh?" Steve joked, not realizing the fear those words struck in Jaime and Oscar's hearts. "Ok. It doesn't matter what you were arguing about," he said lightly. "Come out of those neutral corners, shake hands and let it go."

No one moved. "I wasn't kidding," Steve insisted. "We aren't leaving this office 'til you two shake hands and make up." They were frozen in place. Steve put his hands on Jaime's shoulders, rubbed them a little to try and calm her nerves, then gently turned her around and nudged her in Oscar's direction.

Jaime took Steve's theory and ran with it; standing behind Oscar, she spoke very softly, directly from her heart. "Oscar? I'm...really sorry."

Oscar turned around and took her hand, as Steve had requested. Sadness and guilt were etched across his face as he told her "I'm sorry, too, Babe. This will _never_ happen again."

------

Steve and Jaime were virtually silent on the drive home. It wasn't until after dinner, when they were relaxing in the den, that Steve finally brought up her 'fight' with Oscar. "Looked pretty tense in there today. Wanna talk about it?"

Jaime shook her head and tried to smile at him. I'd really rather forget it ever happened."

------


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Oscar and Jaime were drowning in guilt, not over the kiss as much as thoughts of what could've happened. They did their best to simply stay away from each other.

"Sweetheart," Steve said over coffee one morning about a week later, "are you pregnant?"

"Am I - what? No, of course not!"

"You've been...different, the last week or so. Moody."

"I'm not pregnant."

Steve was worried. To him, she seemed distant and uncharacteristically teary-eyed, crying easily - sometimes for no reason at all. "I want you to see Rudy. Today."

"I'm fine." She preferred to go nowhere near the office complex, even though out of sight was _not_ out of mind.

------

Steve's will had prevailed, and an hour later he escorted Jaime into Rudy's office. While he waited for her he did the only thing he could think of: he went to see his best friend. "Something's wrong with Jaime; I'm really worried about her, Oscar."

"What's going on, Pal? Is she sick?" Oscar asked, frowning with true concern.

"I'm not sure. I thought maybe she was pregnant - she's been so moody - but she swears she's not. I practically had to force her to come in to see Rudy."

"Probably a good idea, in any case," Oscar agreed.

"What really scares me is that when her body rejected the bionics, she got real moody and unpredictable then, too. She won't talk to me about it, or about much of anything else, either." Steve looked pleadingly at his friend. "Maybe she'd talk to you."

_Ouch!_ Oscar thought. "I'll try, if you really want me to," he told Steve.

"I'd appreciate it; I don't know what else to do. Can I send her up when she's done with Rudy?" Oscar nodded, suddenly deep within his own thoughts. Steve headed downstairs to find Jaime.

He found her waiting in the main lobby, with Rudy at her side. Jaime smiled. "I brought him with me so he could tell you this himself." She looked at Rudy.

"She's fine, Steve; no worries," Rudy confirmed. "We should all be so healthy."

Steve breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Rudy."

Rudy nodded. "Call me anytime," he said, heading back downstairs.

"Told you I was ok," Jaime said lightly, taking Steve's arm and starting toward the doors.

"Wait. Oscar wanted to talk to you before we left the building."

"Why?"

"Just go and see him, Sweetheart. Please?"

So, once again, Jaime found herself unexpectedly - and unwillingly - on her way to see Oscar.

------

"Steve's worried about you," Oscar said, his back to the door when Jaime walked in.

"I know. Where's Callahan?"

"I told her to take an early, extra-long lunch. Don't need any rumors going around. Not that she's a gossip; she's not -"

"But why take chances, right?" Jaime said.

"Exactly." Oscar finally turned around. "Jaime, if I could take it all back, I would, for Steve's sake. But it did happen, and I can't stop thinking about it. Or you."

"I keep thinking about it, too," she admitted. "That's whySteve thinks I've been distant. God, I hate keeping secrets from him -"

"Telling him the truth would be a lot worse," Oscar said, moving a little closer to where she stood, "Especially since it's over."

Jaime moved forward, too, the gap between them much smaller now. "Is it?"

"Don't you want it to be?" he asked hopefully. Jaime was looking at the floor, ashamed of her own feelings, and he ran his fingertips softly down her cheek, gaining her attention as well as her gaze.

"We should've ended this a week ago, when we said we would" she told him. "Trouble is, I'm not even sure what '_this_' is, and it isn't going away. I'm not sure I want it to go away..."

Oscar took her very gently into his arms and was amazed at how well she seemed to fit there. "You know, Steve asked me to talk to you today."

"Doesn't surprise me," she whispered, mesmerized by a side of Oscar that very few people ever got to see. She moved even closer, until daylight was no longer visible between them. Oscar's arms tightened around her and Jaime sighed with contentment. "This feels so good, being close to you. I just wish..." her voice trailed off into another sigh, wistfully sad this time.

"What do you wish?"

"I wish - this didn't have to be so wrong."

"_Is _it wrong?" he asked. She couldn't answer that. Oscar went on. "I feel for Steve; you know that. For his sake, I hate to say this, but maybe he's meant to be your past. Maybe this," he kissed her warmly, "is your present. And your future." He kissed her a little more deeply, his tongue, for the first time, seeking admittance - and gaining it. The kiss seemed to go on forever, but was nowhere near long enough. They forced themselves to stop at the exact moment it was about to lead to something more.

They stared deeply into each other's faces as they caught their breath. "What are we gonna do?" Jaime asked.

"The next step has to be your decision, Babe. I think you know that. Whatever you decide, I'll understand, and whichever way this eventually goes, I promise you it'll never interfere with our work. I won't let it." He ran a hand through Jaime's hair and looked at her with such deep emotion that she nearly swooned. "If you decide this is what you want, I'll tell Steve if you need me to, or I'll help you tell him."

"What about you?" Jaime wondered. "What do _you_ want?"

"This," he said, kissing her again. The **clang** of the elevator stopped them mid-kiss. **_Steve!_** Jaime thought fast, then buried her head on Oscar's shoulder and began to sob. He got the idea instantly and went along with what she was doing. "It'll be ok," he told her as Steve walked in. "Talk to him; he'll understand." Oscar looked up. "Hi, Pal. I think she's ready now. We had a good talk."

Steve smiled and took Jaime from Oscar's arms. "Thanks, Oscar. I really appreciate it." He failed to notice that there was barely a tear on Jaime's face.

------


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Jaime glanced at Steve as he drove, but when he looked over at her and smiled she had to look away, staring out the side window so he wouldn't see the tears in her eyes. She couldn't remember ever feeling so confused, or so guilty. Even though she'd 'only' kissed Oscar, in her mind she was as much of a cheater as if she'd slept with him. Steve didn't deserve to be treated this way, and it was tearing her apart inside.

The way she'd felt in Oscar's arms, though, was like nothing Jaime had ever experienced, pulling her back like a moth to a flame. She was completely torn, and longed for someone she could talk it all over with, but this time, when she was making one of the biggest decisions of her life (and one of the toughest) she was absolutely alone. Her three closest friends, the ones she'd normally have turned to, were all out of the question now. There was Steve (no way she could mull this one through with him), Oscar (ditto) and Peggy Callahan (as Oscar's secretary, totally out of the question). Jaime was all alone; tingling with excitement, drowning in guilt and scared as hell, and having to deal with all of it by herself.

"Hungry?" Steve asked.

Food was just about the last thing she wanted, but Jaime thought that maybe if she could fake 'normal' eventually she might not feel quite so abnormal. "Let's order a pizza," she suggested.

"I thought you might wanna go out -"

Jaime smiled at him (the best she could manage, anyway). "I feel more like sticking to home and hearth tonight."

Steve took this as a hopeful sign; she was feeling domestic again. "Sweetheart, your wish is my command," he said happily.

------

One extra-large pepperoni with extra cheese and one bottle of wine later, Jaime and Steve sat back on the sofa, Steve quietly content and Jaime...quiet. Steve sat down next to her on the sofa and wrapped her in his arms. Jaime stiffened slightly, just for a moment, before relaxing and curling up with her head on his shoulder.

Steve traced her lips with one fingertip and smiled lovingly. "I have to confess something," he said. "I was kind of hoping Rudy would tell us you were pregnant."

"Oh, really?"

"You'd be a terrific mother..." Steve told her. Jaime's throat tightened and she fought back the urge to burst into tears. "Looked like you and Oscar had a good talk today. What did he want you to talk to me about?"

"Ya know," Jaime began, choosing each word carefully, "he helped so much - a neutral sounding board, I guess - that it's out of my system. I'd really rather keep it that way."

"I wasn't sure if it was something I did -"

"No! Just...my own personal brand of craziness, I s'pose." She kissed him, feeling all the emotions that went along with it, but also feeling like the world's biggest fraud. Steve responded by pulling her closer, almost onto his lap, kissing her neck, her throat, the sensitive spot just below her ear...Jaime was surprised by how quickly her body still surrendered to the familiar comfort of his touch. For several warm, tender hours she was able to forget the swirling mess of emotions that had troubled her, to revel in the feeling of their two bodies so close together that they became one.

It wasn't until after they'd finished that the guilt and anguish hit her in the pit of her stomach. She knew she had to resolve this, for everyone's sake; she had to _do something._ Jaime just wished she knew what that something was supposed to be.

------

The next morning, Jaime was back in Oscar's office. She was relieved to see Callahan at her desk; she wanted to talk to Oscar, without...distractions. Peggy stopped her on her way to the inner office, nearly bouncing with excitement. "Jaime - did you hear the big news?"

"Depends. What is it?"

"_Oscar has a girlfriend_!"

Jaime's stomach did a backflip. "Really? Who is it?"

"Nobody knows yet, but he has all the symptoms - Oscar's in love!"

"Oscar?" Jaime laughed nervously. "I doubt it. When would he find the time?"

"Beats me. But I'm sure it's true. He's so...happy! Isn't it great?"

"Is he in?" Jaime asked, ignoring the last question.

"Yeah." Peggy reached for the intercom, but Jaime walked right in, without knocking or waiting to be announced, then closing the door firmly. Peggy figured she must've gotten that move from Steve.

"Well, good morning!" Oscar said, beaming when he saw who'd invaded his office. "This is a really nice way to start the morning."

"I thought you said Peggy wasn't a gossip," she said, without preamble.

"Excuse me?" Oscar moved in close, but mindful of his secretary on the other side of the door, he didn't touch her.

"I was just informed that you have a girlfriend."

"Oh, _really_?"

Jaime grinned. "Tell me who she is, so I can kill her." Oscar laughed heartily at the joke, then took a plunge deep into her hazel eyes. Looking back into his eyes took her breath away and made her dizzy, so Jaime turned and sat down, at one of the desk chairs this time.

"Coffee?" he offered.

"Ok. Thanks."

Oscar made a mug of cocoa/coffee for her, then sat down at his desk, guessing this was a more official type of visit. "So, what can I do for you today, Miss Sommers?"

"Remember what you said yesterday about our work relationship staying the same, no matter what?"

"Yes..?"

"I wanted to make sure you meant that. I mean, no preferential treatment, and no harsher treatment than normal, either. Right?"

"Absolutely." He looked at her with curiousity. "That's the only reason you're here?"

"No - not really. I...I guess I just..."

"What is it, Babe?"

"I needed to see you. Somehow, when I look in your eyes, I can almost believe everything'll be ok."

"Of course it will. And Jaime, I hope you understand that no matter what you decide, I'm behind you a thousand percent. If you decide you'd like to try and make it work with Steve, I'll help both of you in any way I can -"

"Thank you."

"Of course, the other choice would be so much better, but -"

They smiled at each other and Jaime stood up to go. When she reached the door, she turned back around. "Oh, by the way, Callahan is also telling people that you're in love." She left without waiting for a response.

When she was on the elevator and out of hearing range, Oscar savored her memory and answered her unspoken question. _Callahan is right. This old man - **is** in love._

------


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Less than a month later, Oscar broke his promise. Steve was called in - for a job, he and Jaime both assumed - and Jaime needed some minor tests on her ear, so they went to the complex together. Oscar had been called into a quick meeting, so Steve had to wait. Jaime was finished and already had her results by the time he finally headed up to Oscar's office. "Sweetheart," he told her, "you don't have to wait for me. You could take the car and go, if you want. I know I'm gonna be working."

Jaime nodded. "Maybe I will. But it's so nice and cool by the fountain; I might hang out a little while first." She kissed him softly. "I love you."

"Love you, too," he said, heading for the elevators.

Jaime pretended to head for the fountain, but as soon as she knew Steve was all the way up to Oscar's floor, she got on the elevator herself and hit the 'stop' button just before the doors would've opened. Rudy had fine-tuned her ear, allowing her to hear more from greater distances, through thicker barriers. She intended to try it out by eavesdropping on Steve and Oscar's conversation. She did feel a little bit guilty about it, but nothing she couldn't deal with.

What she heard made her so angry that she almost gave herself away and went storming immediately into the office. She took the elevator down when they seemed to be almost finished and drove the car around the neighborhood so Steve wouldn't know she'd been there the whole time. Still furious, she returned to the office complex to confront Oscar.

"Oscar, what the hell were you thinking?" she demanding, storming into the office. "Don't 'Hi Babe' me and I don't want any coffee. You broke your promise!"

"Good morning anyway," Oscar said hesitantly. "I'll be happy to explain - once you tell me what you're upset about."

"Why did you give that assignment to Steve?"

"It needed to be done, and done fast."

"You should've sent me, and you know it."

Oscar frowned. "What did Steve tell you?"

"Nothing. he didn't have to; I heard all of it from the elevator. You sent him on an assignment that you know damn well should've gone to me!" Jaime was livid. "You sent him to crack a safe that's programmed to blow up in his face, 30 seconds after he yanks the door off."

"He'll get out quickly enough -"

"Dammit, Oscar - that's not the point! I could've gone in there, cracked the combination and not had to worry about the fail-safe. Your judgement isn't just clouded; _IT_ _STINKS!_"

Callahan knocked on the door. "I'm going home, if that's ok."

"Have a good night, Peggy," Oscar told her. He turned to Jaime. "Are you finished?"

"For now," she answered, still fuming.

"Because, since you asked so calmly and politely, I'll tell you: every scientist in that lab - no exceptions - is male. You'd have stuck out worse than a sore thumb, and possibly been shot on sight." His eyes softened because hers had already done so. "Anything else you'd like to yell at me for?"

"No," she said meekly.

Oscar moved closer, and his hand stroked her cheek before he put both arms around her waist and pulled her to his body. "I have to tell you, though, that it's been a hard promise to keep. I can't stand the thought of sending you on an assignment; any assignment. I don't like having you take that risk."

"Never used to be a problem..."

"Things change," he told her. He tried to shut his mouth; he couldn't say it, couldn't tell her this. He _had_ to tell her. "Jaime," he said, very softly, "Callahan was right. I am in love - with you. I know I shouldn't be, and definitely shouldn't have told you about it -"

"Oscar -"

"I know I'm way out of line, and -"

"Oscar -"

"I said I wouldn't pressure you, but you still should know -"

Jaime shook her head, smiling at him with her whole face. "I guess there's only one way to shut you up, huh?" She tilted her head up and pressed her lips firmly to his. Her tongue teasingly bid his mouth 'hello', then she broke contact and looked directly into his soul. "Oscar, I love you, too. Like you said, I shouldn't. I know that. Problem is, I can't help it, and I don't wanna fight it anymore." She kissed him again and, feeling his arms tighten around her, she melted into him. "I'm gonna tell Steve, if you still think I should."

"Are you sure you want to?"

"What I really want, I can't have until I do tell him," Jaime answered.

"And what might that be?"

Jaime grinned. "Remember that dream we both had? I'll bet the real thing would be...amazing."

Oscar kissed her again and she responded hungrily, wanting him more than she thought possible, but unwilling to take that step while she was still with Steve. _That,_ she couldn't live with.

"I'll tell him soon," she promised.

------

Jaime had planned to tell Steve what was going on with Oscar (and move out afterward) as soon as he returned from his assignment, but as she'd feared when she'd read Oscar the riot act, the mission did not go well. Steve had retrieved the necessary file, but barely made it out in time, suffering damage to his right hand and multiple burns to his left.

"I can't leave him while he's hurt," Jaime told Oscar sadly.

"Babe, if you could do that to him, I wouldn't want to be with you."

"It's really gonna hurt him, though, when I do tell him..."

"Are you changing your mind?"

"Not a chance. I feel like the lowest of the low, for doing this to him, for causing him so much pain, but if I stayed with Steve out of guilt or obligation, that wouldn't be fair to him either."

"Do you want me to tell him?" Oscar asked.

Jaime shook her head. "No, I have to be the one to look him in the eyes and tell him the truth. I owe him that much."

"I love you," Oscar said with a tenderness he'd never thought he was capable of, before Jaime.

"I love you, too," she whispered, as they fell into each others arms for a long passionate kiss.

**_CRASH!_** They'd been right in the middle of an extremely close embrace and the deepest possible kiss when Callahan, unseen and unheard, had arrived at her desk to begin the day. The crashing sound had been all of the things she'd knocked off her desk when her legs gave out in shock. She was sitting at her desk now, with her head down, cursing her timing, and yet - how juicy was this...!

"Oh, God..." Jaime said under her breath. "I'm...gonna get outta here. Bye."

"Jaime - I'll take care of this. I'll talk to her."

Jaime nodded and fled the office.

------


	7. epilogue

Epilogue

The day had finally come. Steve's injuries had healed, and Jaime and Oscar's need to be together was too strong to ignore. Jaime was awake before the sun was up, and took a jog down to the office complex and into Oscar's arms. They'd decided to keep things extremely low-key until they went official, so she was meeting him before Callahan arrived for work. She could spend some quality time in his arms, planning the future, and she'd be home in time to make breakfast and then sit down with Steve. It would be the hardest thing she'd ever done, but once it was over, this would be the start of a whole new life for Jaime...

Steve was awake early as well. The day had finally come. Today, he planned to ask Jaime to marry him. They had grown so much closer during his recuperation, almost the way they used to be. He was sure that, this time, she'd say yes. She was out of the house when he got up, but he figured she'd gone for a little jog, and Steve decided to run his other errand first, then come home, make coffee and make his move. First, he was headed down to Oscar's office to share his good news and ask Oscar to be his best man. This, he knew, was the start of a brand-new life...

END


End file.
